birmingham bloggers 1st anniversary bash

on april 22nd, we celebrated one year of birmingham bloggers at the nest in avondale, and it was such a night to remember. in january 2014, beth, molly and i founded this community and immediately got to work to give local bloggers and writers a place to come together for fun, knowledge and networking.

i've had such an amazing time building this community with beth, molly and rachel over the course of the last year. this party was to reward loyal birmingham bloggers members who have supported us, attended our events and provided invaluable feedback on how to make this community better. we were so lucky to be able to work with amazing local sponsors to give birmingham bloggers a truly unique experience.

the nest in avondale is a beautiful, airy, open space that almost requires no decor at all - but we had to bring in some gorgeous pieces from west elm birmingham to add interest to our tablescapes and provide some texture. west elm also provided the stunning "west elm photo corner" where we set up our BB balloons and a bucket of props everyone could use in photos.

the food, y'all, the food! slice birmingham and full moon bbq hit the spot with brick oven roasted pizzas, bbq sandwich sliders, slaw, beans and all the fixin's. molly whipped up some delicious desserts - mini cupcakes and madelines with a birmingham bloggers lavender twist. cathead vodka was our libation of choice - and the honeysuckle lemonade was a huge hit with the crowd.

we had many generous sponsors donate to our goodie bags and baskets. we gave away five large, birmingham themed gift baskets full of amazing local goodies, ranging from hand poured local soap, subscriptions to b-metro and a copy of birmingham's best bites cookbooks. five lucky bloggers received these baskets, and all attendees received a giftbag from swoozie's with goodies from kismet cosmetics, revelator coffee, prints from giddy paperie, alabama themed cookies from bethcakes, st. vincent's t-shirts and birmingham bloggers themed wine glasses - my favorite!

honestly y'all, i could gush about this party for days. it taught me so much about keeping it local and building relationships with fellow birmingham enthusiasts. i'm really looking forward to being able to write a few posts about sponsorship and reaching out to the resources in your community for events, networking, blogging opportunities and so much more.

THANK YOU to the birmingham bloggers community for getting involved and making this network the incredible force it has become. we are so, so excited to continue bringing you events, workshops and partnerships in 2015. here's to another year! 

here are some of my favorite instagram shots from the party!

Much #latergram, hanging out with my BB at the @bhambloggers birthday bash! 💜 #bhambloggers #MyFoodieAffairs #mpbblog #blackgirlswhoblog #browngirlbloggers

A photo posted by Foodie from Birmingham 🍴 (@myfoodieaffairs) on Apr 24, 2015 at 8:04am PDT

Good Times at the Birmingham Bloggers 1st Anniversary Bash with these fabulous ladies 🎉🎂🎉 #eatdrinksavorlife #BhamBloggers #BhamEvents #GoodTimes #buylocal

A photo posted by Janece Maze (@aerialjane) on Apr 23, 2015 at 11:43am PDT

I had so much fun celebrating the Birmingham Bloggers 1 Year Anniversary tonight with some of my favorite @bhambloggers! #bhambloggers #nestbham #birmingham #alabama #alabamabloggers

A photo posted by Chandler MacWilliam (@shotgunsandseashells) on Apr 22, 2015 at 6:43pm PDT

#bhambloggers one year anniversary event @thenestbham was super fun! Thanks for the goodie bag girls! #instagrambham #buylocal ❤️❤️❤️these #creative people! #birmingham #birminghamal

A photo posted by Jackie Basik (@basikthoughts) on Apr 22, 2015 at 7:58pm PDT

I can't thank @bhambloggers enough for this amazing giveaway I won during their 1 year anniversary party last night! It's complete with Kendra Scott earrings, restaurant and boutique gift cards! Candle! Soap! Magazine subscription, cookbook, coffee and more! Thank you and happy birthday to an amazing group of ladies who put on an amazing event! ❤️❤️❤️

A photo posted by Vanessa (@buddingfashionista) on Apr 23, 2015 at 3:49pm PDT

Love my new wine glass! Pretty sweet! Thanks #bhambloggers #thenestbham #buylocal #instagrambham ❤️#redwine! ❤️#blogger #bloggers👍😉

A photo posted by Jackie Basik (@basikthoughts) on Apr 23, 2015 at 4:29pm PDT

huge, huge thanks to our fabulous sponsors!
all photos by k. olis photography

 st. vincent's hospital, slice pizza & brew, k. olis photography, west elm, full moon bbq

giddy paperie, freedom soap company, babalu tacos & tapas, revelator coffee, miss molly moon design, icebox coffee, cathead vodka, saw's bbq, fab'rik homewood, stone hollow farms, southern scripted, b-metro, good people brewing, birmingham's best bites cookbook, insomnia cookies, tomatoes & grits pop-up dinners, kendra scott, gus mayer, ozan vineyards, city bee company, birmingham junior league, kismet cosmetics, swoozie's birmingham.

decor wishlist + recent finds

navy floral accent chair / art from parima studio / flamingo print / pineapple print / ikea tv stand

recently i've been working on sprucing up my living room, and i've decided to go with a blueish/navy theme. my couch is grey, so i've got navy/blue pillows and i'm in desperate need of a navy accent chair! i'm in love with the art from parima studio, and i'm dying to add some of her pieces to my collection. above my couch, i'm working on a gallery wall, so the pineapple and flamingo prints are perfect!

one of my favorite resources i've come across recently is mrs. fancee's collection of curated gallery walls, made of free prints! they're all pre-arranged, color coordinated and freakin' awesome. seriously, if you're looking to make a gallery wall, check this out! it's been a major source of inspiration while i'm redecorating.

what are your latest decor finds?

my favorite super smoothie

smoothies are a dime a dozen, but this is a special smoothie, because it's mine! i've refined it to be tasty, fruity, smooth and packed full of nutrients, which is exactly how i like to start my morning. this smoothie keeps me full all morning.

i'm not one of those hardcore folks who is gonna drink a smoothie that tastes like grass. nope. sorry. this smoothie is slightly vanilla-y and totally fruity, no spinach or veggie taste at all. and pumpkin seeds? wonderful source of fiber and protein, with no taste, i promise! it ain't the prettiest smoothie - depending on how much fruit you add, you'll get a nice purple color - but hey, that's not the point! this thing is packed with nutrition!

meredith's super smoothie

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder of your choice - i use eas lean protein in vanilla creme
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup frozen berries - add as much as you like to balance out the flavor! i use blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, but all fruits work well here
• 2 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1-3 handfuls of spinach
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional if you're a vanilla fan!)

combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. for thickness, add ice. to thin the smoothie, add more almond milk.

auto no more: dslr workshop with rachel johnson

on saturday, may 30th i gathered with a wonderful group in crestwood for rachel johnson's auto no mroe dslr photography workshop. rachel blogs over at stupid good rachel, has worked with bon appetit and cooking light, runs her own lunch delivery business here in birmingham and has great insight on how to take your best photos with no fancy equipment involved.

food was our subject, so of course, we had some treats to enjoy after the workshop was over! how fantastic does this quinoa look?!

key takeaways

• light is your best friend. rachel holds what some may consider a controversial opinion: if there's no good light, don't shoot. simple. sometimes you can create artificial light in a slightly dim restaurant by diffusing your phone's flash through a glass of water, but otherwise, stick to natural light.
• manual is not a nightmare. becoming familiar with f-stop, iso and your shutter speed makes all the difference in the world when it comes to adjusting how your photos look. rachel reccomends a shutter speed of 1/125, iso around 300-400 and an f-stop of 3-4. of course, these settings all depend on how much light you're working with!
• use tools like white posterboard or a board wrapped in foil to bounce light and eliminate unsightly shadows. these items are cheap and simple to obtain.
  
  

huge thanks to rachel for hosting this incredible workshop! thank you for being such an asset to birmingham. oh, and thank you for the delicious food! (i didn't get any photos of the brownies - but trust me, they were killer!)

rachel will be moving to austin, texas next month, so texas folks, y'all are in for a treat! visit stupid good rachel for recipes, photo tips and future workshops!

 

how to have the best blogging/social media conference experience

conference season is here! if you're a blogger like me, you're gearing up to make your yearly conference rounds, and you're thrilled to meet some new faces and have another great experience. or, perhaps, you're a conference newbie, and want to show up prepared! no worries, i gotcha.

i'm writing this post with introverts in mind - only because, as i've expounded on previously (see 'the beauty of introversion'), many, many blogging folk are introverted. the extroverts are usually out at mixers, not photographing a new face wash they got in the mail from 4,000 different angles. so, if this is your first conference and you're a little shy, never fear.

getting the most out of a conference involves going in with the right mindset. it's ok to be nervous. but overall, be positive! this is a new opportunity, a new experience, and most of all, it's fun! talking to people all day can be exhausting - hell, even thinking of how you'll approach people you don't know is exhausting! trust me, i've been there. bring your cutest outfits, get your nails done, wear some comfortable shoes, grab a venti iced americano & get ready to feel your best - you'll have a blast!

read up on my tips to get the most out of your blogging/social media conference below.

bring your business cards

if you're a blogger and you don't have business cards, get them. immediately. if you're chatting with someone and don't have a card to offer, you'll regret it. trust me, i've been there. don't leave for the conference without them!

stay up to date on stats

a few days before the conference, take a look at your pageviews, unique visitors, most popular posts, etc. and have this information on hand. you can even print out our stats and bring them along, or have a copy of your media kit printed or available quickly via dropbox/google drive. if it's a conference where you'll be chatting with brands and fellow collaborators, you'll want to be up to date.

set small goals

want to hand out 10 business cards? talk to 5 new people? meet your favorite presenter? discover 3 new businesses you'd like to work with? set some small goals before the conference and keep a list on your phone as a reminder. complete your list before the end of the con!

do one thing that makes you uncomfortable

whether it's raising your hand to share a question or story at a presentation, working up the guts to talk to your favorite brand, or grabbing improtu drinks with some fellow conference attendees, make sure you do one thing you may not have planned, but you know will enrich your experience.

make real connections & stay in touch

you can hand out a pack of 100 business cards but not make an authentic connection with a single person. don't spread yourself too thin, and focus on talking with people you really connect with. most importantly, maintain these connections! follow your new friends/business partners on social media, and stay in touch until next year.